When writing historical things, I try to include perspective from people who actually lived through the events. And for money issues in the US, I’m able to do that back to about 1905.

So, do you think life was nasty, brutish, and short in 1905? That there were poor and starving people falling dead on every street corner?

Hardly.

The Wright brothers were flying for 30 minutes at a crack; Einstein was upgrading the laws of physics; telephones and electric lights were being installed all across America; Henry Ford was getting the final pieces in place for his moving assembly line and Model T; radio was being developed; art was flourishing; and the world was more or less at peace.

Sure, we have far more tech and better medicine now, but mostly because the people of earlier times (like the 1905 era) gifted it to us.

People in 1905 lived in heated homes, refrigerated their food, had access to professional physicians,traveled the world (mostly on trains and ships), read daily newspapers (there were many more of them in those days), watched movies, and ate just about the same foods we eat.

In an interview with HuffPost Live’s Marc Lamont Hill this week, Rachel Jeantel, Trayvon Martin’s friend and “star witness” in the George Zimmerman trial, said she believes Martin threw the first punch in the altercation that resulted in his death last year.

“I believe Trayvon hit first,” she said.

However, she argued Martin’s first blow was likely caused by Zimmerman attempting to grab and detain Martin. More

Someone meant really well. We think. A few years ago, Visa and McDonald’s partnered to launch a personal finance site for McDonald’s employees to help them better manage their money. Unfortunately, whoever wrote these materials had no grasp of what it’s actually like to live on $8 or so per hour.

“Helping you succeed financially is one of the many ways McDonald’s is creating a satisfying and rewarding work environment,” the site’s About page explains. The path to financial freedom, according to Visa and McDonald’s, involves turning off your heat, not buying groceries, not having children, never getting sick, and getting a second job. All of which are sound money-saving strategies, it’s true, but it’s not all that realistic to expect people to combine them.

OCEAN CITY – A petition opposing newly installed areas of paid parking around the resort has received sufficient numbers of signatures, according to organizers, but the effort will continue until this month’s deadline.

Last month the majority of the City Council voted to approve an ordinance that will enact new areas of paid parking to bring in additional revenue and help close a budget gap. Areas were chosen after city officials and staff met on several occasions studying potential locations. They included on the east side of the driveway in the Public Safety Parking Lot between 65th and 66thstreets, City Hall parking lot on the west side of Philadelphia Ave. between North Division and South First streets, 49th Street ocean block, 131st Street from Coastal Hwy. to Sinepuxent Ave. and 146th Street ocean block.

For months, the ordinance met opposition from Ocean Place Condominium owners on 146th Street as well as from the Crab Bag on 131st Street. Those in opposition came together with the recently organized group of Ocean City Taxpayers for Social Justice (OCTSJ) and began petition efforts to place the decision on a ballot to attempt to put a stop to the new meters.More

The February 2012 shooting death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martion might never have happened if school officials in Miami-Dade County had not instituted an unofficial policy of treating crimes as school disciplinary infractions. Revelations that emerged from an internal affairs investigation explain why Martin was not arrested when caught at school with stolen jewelry in October 2011 or with marijuana in February 2012. Instead, the teenager was suspended from school, the last time just days before he was shot dead by George Zimmerman.

Trayvon Martin was not from Sanford, the town north of Orlando where he was shot in 2012 and where a jury acquitted Zimmerman of murder charges Saturday. Martin was from Miami Gardens, more than 200 miles away, and had come to Sanford to stay with his father’s girlfriend Brandy Green at her home in the townhouse community where Zimmerman was in charge of the neighborhood watch. Trayvon was staying with Green after he had been suspended for the second time in six months from Krop High School in Miami-Dade County, where both his father, Tracy Martin, and mother, Sybrina Fulton, lived.

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) -- Four of the jurors at the George Zimmerman trial distanced themselves late Tuesday from statements that another juror made in a televised interview.

The four jurors issued a brief statement on court stationary saying that the opinions expressed by Juror B37 to CNN's Anderson Cooper on Monday night are not representative of their views.

"The opinions of Juror B37, expressed on the Anderson Cooper show were her own, and not in any way representative of the jurors listed below," said the statement, signed by Jurors B51, B76, E6 and E40.

Juror B37 said the actions of Zimmerman and 17-year-old Trayvon Martin both led to the teenager's fatal shooting last year, but that Zimmerman didn't actually break the law.More

WCTP Meeting this Thursday July 18th at 7pm. Our guest speaker is Charles Lollar, unannounced gubernatorial candidate. Mr. Lollar is a conservative that believes the community and individuals should be the primary source of solution rather than the government. He speaks passionately about our economy, jobs, taxes and education. Mr. Lollar is currently the Chairman of New Day MD and was a candidate for US House of Representatives.

The Maryland state pension system achieved a 10.6% return on its investment portfolio for the fiscal year that ended June 30, bringing the fund assets to a total of $40.2 billion, Chief Investment Officer Melissa Moye told the pension trustees Tuesday.

The return exceeded the system’s target of 7.75% annual return, and was far better than the dismal results of less than 1% for fiscal 2012.

The double digit return was driven by a 19% increase in stock market holdings, which make up 42% of the portfolio that funds pensions for hundreds of thousands of Maryland public school teachers and state employees. There were also double digit returns for private equity (stock not traded in public markets), debt holdings and real estate.More

Yeah, just “collect it all”, that way we will have something to use against anyone when we need to. Oh wait, it is really them using it against us. And if you aren’t sure whether you are part of them or us, then you are definitely part of us.

Glenn Greenwald bringing the conversation back to the USSA’s illegal activities instead of the asylum drama going on in Russia. But think about this for a sec, Russia is likely to provide asylum to a person wrongfully hunted by the US guv-thugs. And Americans have to read British News to get a taste of real journalism. If TJ was alive today he would think he is in Bizarro-World.

Nothing to worry about, our dear leader is nobel peace prize winner, he is only concerned about our best interests.

Enforcement of the overhaul’s central mandate — that individual Americans must have coverage — could be weakened by the Obama administration’s recent delay of a requirement that larger employers provide medical insurance.

That’s because the delayed rule also required companies to report health insurance details for employees. Without employers validating who’s covered, a scofflaw could lie, and the government would have no easy way to check.More

On July 17, 2013, at approximately 10:30 a.m. officers from the Ocean City Police Department were contacted by Sussex County Delaware Communications Center in reference to a vehicle pursuit originating in Fenwick Island heading south into Ocean City.During the initial stages of the pursuit, information was related to the OCPD that the suspect being pursued was in possession of a large knife which had been displayed by the suspect during a prior incident in Delaware.

Both Fenwick Island and South Bethany Police pursued the vehicle into Ocean City at approximately 10:35 a.m., at which point the driver attempted to evade the Delaware Police by turning onto the Ocean Block of 134thStreet.The Delaware officers observed the vehicle heading north on Coastal Highway at 133rdStreet when the suspect vehicle made an abrupt U-turn striking a vehicle and causing minor damage.

The suspect vehicle then headed south on Coastal Highway when it struck a car at 118thStreet then crashed into a car near 117thStreet, before losing control and crashing into a utility pole in the area of Jamestown Road on Coastal Highway.The crash at 118thStreet resulted in one person being transported to Atlantic General Hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

At this time, the suspect fled from the crash scene on foot and then stole a bicycle. He proceeded to ride the bicycle south, behind the Gold Coast Mall, while being pursued by the two Delaware Officers.OCPD officers responded to the area; however, the suspect had fled into the marsh and bay behind the mall.

The suspect, who would not comply with officers’ requests to surrender, continued to flee by swimming in the marsh and bay south toward Channel Buoy Road.Several OCPD officers became involved in the apprehension, along with South Bethany and Fenwick Island Police, as well as the Maryland State Police Helicopter.

Because the suspect was believed to be armed with a large knife, was very combative and assaulted several officers, police utilized an ECD/TASER, K-9 Unit and less than lethal projectile launcher to subdue the suspect, who was taken into custody on a small sandbar approximately 100 yards northwest of Channel Buoy Road. The suspect has been positively identified as: Brian A. Kriss, 23, from Illinois and was treated for injuries related to the apprehension at Atlantic General Hospital.

The Ocean City Police are currently investigating the vehicle crashes that occurred on Coastal Highway and the resulting charges related to the combative actions of the suspect during the apprehension.The below excerpt has been released by the Delaware State Police:

The original call was reported at approximately 9:45 a.m. as a hit and run crash in a parking lot of Lighthouse Plaza in Rehoboth (DSP jurisdiction) where an unoccupied parked car was struck. The suspect vehicle fled the parking lot and a general bulletin (GB) was put out including the tag information. Within a half hour, another GB was put out on the same vehicle driving recklessly southbound, north of Bethany. South Bethany PD was alerted to the information and searched from their jurisdiction south to Fenwick Island. As the officer from S. Bethany was sitting stationary with the Fenwick Police officer near East Atlantic Street, they were alerted by motorists traveling southbound on SR1 of the GB vehicle and attempted to catch up to the vehicle as it entered into Ocean City, MD. They did not actually catch up to the vehicle until they were in Ocean City's jurisdiction. At this time, OCPD has the unnamed suspect in custody. Charges are pending in Delaware and the investigation is on-going. A formal press release will be sent out once information is gathered from all agencies.

Additional information regarding the Delaware related incidents will be released by Delaware State Police Public Information Officer, Master Corporal Gary Fournier302-535-3706.

The City of Fruitland Police Department has identified key enforcement zones across the municipality. These sites were selected and validated to be areas of high incidents of speeding and where the cameras would be of greatest effect. Fruitland’s Police Department strategy had always been to gain the greatest amount of effect by electing to enforce only a se-lected number of enforcement sites at any given time. Though not all of the below listed locations are being enforced currently, all qualify as can-didate’s as future enforcement.

Tony Tank Snakehead

Type:TidalRegion:EasternLocation:Tony Tank

This snakehead was caught in Tony Tank between Camden Ave and Riverside Drive. This is the second snakehead I have seen in Tony Tank in the last month. They were about the same size and both were killed. I hate to see such a great fishing place destroyed by these nasty predators. Any suggestions?

DNR Response:Thanks for killing those fish and sending in the information to MD DNR! A handful of individuals have reported from the Salisbury each year for the past couple of years. I think they got there from the Nanticoke watershed because that’s where they were first seen in eastern shore rivers. Killing the fish when they’re encountered is probably the best defense we have. It is a good fish to eat too – so try it out! While snakehead isn’t going to wipe out species from the Tony Tank, it definitely doesn’t belong there and it definitely does change the ecosystem. The cast of characters for that area is now changed and we don’t know what that will inevitably mean to the area. We don’t want it to negatively affect fishing for other species either. I’m hopeful that your actions will help keep the biomass of the species so low that its impact in the ecosystem is negligible.

From May until September is the best time to kill them. They form mating pairs during that time and reproduce. If you can kill the adults, then the offspring are likely to get eaten as well. In practice, I’ve learned that anglers are the best defense we have right now against them becoming super abundant and spreading out. If you get one, make sure it’s killed. If you talk with other folks, make sure they know how to kill them. Those are some of the best suggestions we have.

Keep sending in the Angler’s reports! They help encourage other anglers to target the fish too.

WTI is Tracking S&P 500 last MonthIt is obvious that the oil market is out of touch with the fundamentals of a sluggish global macro-economic picture, and surging domestic and international oil production right now. The problem is that Oil, and especially WTI which is being tied to the S&P 500 bullishness, (i.e., stock market at all-time highs) is completely manipulated by hedge funds and investment banks and is harmful to the economy, businesses and consumers.

The Rev. Al Sharpton, founder of the National Action Network, says he will lead a national "Justice for Trayvon" day in 100 cities this weekend to press for federal civil rights charges against George Zimmerman.

With a nationwide vigil Saturday, Rev. Sharpton and his National Action Network are also demanding the repeal of Florida’s "stand your ground" self-defense law.

“People all over the country will gather to show that we are not having a two or three-day anger fit,” says Rev. Sharpton. “This is a social movement for justice.”

Even as these ministers vow to fight on they are urging demonstrations after episodes of violence and vandalism in Los Angeles and Oakland.More

What is so interesting about Montana’s House Bill 603, which passed overwhelmingly the state Senate by a 96-4 margin, is that it was passed in April, or several months before Edward Snowden’s NSA revelations. Talk about some foresight. Hopefully, we will see many more such bills sweep across the nation, as “change” will have to be done at the local level. The central government in D.C. is hopelessly corrupt and I don’t see that changing. We must just decentralize away from the District of Criminals on our own. From the Atlantic Wire:

Privacy advocates, behold the Montana legislature and House Bill 603, a measure that requires the government to obtain a probable cause warrant before spying on you through your cell phone or laptop. HB 603 was signed into law this past spring, effectively making Montana the first state to have an anti-spy law long before anyone heard of Edward Snowden. To be clear, HB 603 passed the state Senate overwhelmingly by a vote of 96-4 in April and was signed into law on May 6.

Environmental and human rights activists, church leaders and gun rights advocates found common ground on Tuesday, filing a lawsuit against the federal government to halt a vast National Security Agency electronic surveillance program.

The lawsuit was filed in federal court in San Francisco by the Electronic Frontier Foundation, which is representing the unusually broad coalition of plaintiffs.

It seeks an injunction against the NSA, Justice Department, FBI and directors of the agencies, and challenges what the plaintiffs describe as an “illegal and unconstitutional program of dragnet electronic surveillance.”More

The 20 Million Drawdown in a sluggish economyThe last two weeks oil inventories fell by a record 20 million barrels, this event has never happened in 30 years of historical data. So what the heck is going on here? It is not the case that this is the best economy in the last 30 years. It sure isn`t the case that Americans are using more fuel right now compared with any other time period during the last 30 years.

Peak Demand EraIn fact, the US market is maturing and using less fuel these days for several reasons like alternative energy, higher fuel efficiencies, fuel blending requirements, and a struggling economy with the highest rate of population on food stamps.Supplies at Record HighsSure refiners are running at their highest rate of the year in the 92% range, but that is all normal for this time of the year. Yet this two week drawdown has never happened before, and curiously it happened as supplies were at record highs.

ACCELERATING IMPROVEMENTS IN HIV PREVENTION AND CARE IN THE UNITED STATES THROUGH THE HIV CARE CONTINUUM INITIATIVE

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, and in order to further strengthen the capacity of the Federal Government to effectively respond to the ongoing domestic HIV epidemic, it is hereby ordered as follows:

Section 1. Policy. Addressing the domestic HIV epidemic is a priority of my Administration. In 2010, the White House released the first comprehensive National HIV/AIDS Strategy (Strategy), setting quantitative goals for reducing new HIV infections, improving health outcomes for people living with HIV, and reducing HIV-related health disparities. The Strategy will continue to serve as the blueprint for our national response to the domestic epidemic. It has increased coordination, collaboration, and accountability across executive departments and agencies (agencies) with regard to addressing the epidemic. It has also focused our Nation’s collective efforts on increasing the use of evidence-based approaches to prevention and care among populations and in regions where HIV is most concentrated.

WASHINGTON – President Obama is returning to Martha’s Vineyard next month, making his fourth trip to the Massachusetts island since he became president.

Obama will arrive on the Vineyard on Aug. 10, and plans to remain on the island until Aug. 18, according to the White House. He will arrive with Michelle Obama. Officials would not disclose any travel information about their two daughters, but they typically vacation with the family on the Vineyard as well.

The Obama family also vacationed on the Vineyard in 2009, 2010, and 2011. They did not head to the island last year, a vacation that would have fallen in the months leading up to the presidential election. It was a period when Obama was focused on the campaign, but also on not stirring any controversy, such as taking a respite on an exclusive island in deep blue Massachusetts.More

Details from uptown incidentThe pursuit of a suspect headed south from Delaware came to an abrupt end in North Ocean City around 11 a.m. this morning.According to witnesses, police from Bethany and Fenwick Island were in pursuit of a suspect in a black Nissan Pathfinder. It is unknown why the suspect was fleeing, although several witnesses at the scene said they had been told the vehicle – which had Illinois tags – had been carjacked.While attempting to escape from stopped traffic around 118th Street, however, the suspect sideswiped a black Jeep, running it off the road and onto the front lawn of Supremo Cheesesteaks. The driver of the Jeep was taken away from the scene by Ocean City EMS.The suspect was able to keep driving down Coastal Highway for roughly two blocks, until rear-ending another SUV and swerving his own vehicle head-on into the sign pole for the Oyster Bay Shopping Center, in front of the Greene Turtle.According to employees, the suspect immediately got out of the vehicle and ran in a southwest direction, with Ocean City Police Department officers – who had been alerted by Delaware agencies – giving chase.The suspect then apparently jumped into the bay, somewhere behind the Gold Coast Mall, and began to head west through the marshland bordered by Jamestown Road to the north and Channel Buoy Road to the south.“He was moving from one little island to the next,” said a witness on Channel Buoy Road, who did not wish to be identified. “There must’ve been ten cops here on the docks by that point, but they wouldn’t go into the water after him. They waited until he got close enough to shore and then they hit him with a Taser and sent a dog in after him.”The suspect was seen handcuffed and on the ground on a sandy island in the marsh, with several officers surrounding him.Source

Resume:Rehoboth Beach, DE- Tony L. Boyer is not wanted. This is a Homeless Sex Offender Public Notification. Boyer is a moderate risk Tier II sex offender who has registered as homeless in Rehoboth Beach, DE. If you have information that Tony L. Boyer is occupying a residence please contact 302-672-5306 or by utilizing the Delaware State Police Mobile Crime Tip Application available to download at: http://www.delaware.gov/apps/. Information can also be provided to the Delaware Crime Stoppers at 1-800-TIP-3333. Information may also be provided via the internet atwww.tipsubmit.com

Send an anonymous tip by text to 274637 (CRIMES) using the keyword "DSP."

(Before It's News) from NewsCatcher31: Young black thugs shoot white baby in the face at point blank range. Brunswick, GA has been rocked by the unprovoked hate crime murder of a 13 month old baby. The baby was shot right in front of it’s mother ...

The nation's recovery from the recession is "phony," with the employment picture remaining bleak despite President Barack Obama's claims to the contrary, Mortimer Zuckerman, chairman of U.S. News & World Report, charges in a hard-hitting Op Ed, Tuesday.

Part-time workers are taking the place of full-timers, with even the government employing more than 2 ½ times as many part-timers as it did a year ago, Zuckerman says in the piece for The Wall Street Journal..

"At this stage of an expansion you would expect the number of part-time jobs to be declining, as companies would be doing more full-time hiring," he writes. "Not this time.

"In the long misery of this post-recession period, we have an extraordinary situation: Americans by the millions are in part-time work because there are no other employment opportunities as businesses increase their reliance on independent contractors and part-time, temporary and seasonal employees."

"Bath salts," the recently popular stimulant drugs made with synthetic chemicals, may be more addictive than methamphetamine, one of the most addictive drugs of abuse, a new study on rats suggests.In experiments, rats worked much harder to get an additional dose of the bath-salt compound methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV) than they did to get an additional dose of meth: The rats pressed a lever an average of 600 times to get the MDPV compared with an average of 60 times to get the meth.

'This is for Trayvon' victim: 'I was just being pummeled from every direction I could imagine'In the wake of George Zimmerman’s acquittal , multiple “Justice for Trayvon” demonstrations and related acts of violence have been reported nationwide.

Maryland taxpayers paid higher rates on cell phone taxes than 38 states did in 2012.

Combined state and local taxes on cell phones of 12.77% made Maryland the 12th highest in the nation, according to a study by the DC-based Tax Foundation. With federal taxes added into the mix, that rate rises to 18.59% for Marylanders.

“This is just one more example of why Maryland is known as a “high tax” state,” wrote Randolph May, president of the Free-State Foundation, in a July blog post.

All American cell phone owners have to pay the federal rate of 5.82%.More

Word on the street is that Royal Farms may be opening a news location on Rt. 13. Sources say they are allegedly negotiating a deal on the Soft Touch Car Wash and Grease Monkey locations across from WaWa.

Dear Community Partner,The Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration (MVA) 's Maryland Highway Safety Office (MHSO) is interested in what is happening on the highways from the driver’s perspective. Annually, the MVA conducts a survey of licensed drivers within the state. This survey seeks to gain information regarding drivers’ knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors as it relates to highway safety practices. The survey focuses on highway safety issues, including seat belts, impaired driving, speeding, motorcycles and distracted driving. Additionally, the feedback will help to shape highway safety programs within the state. We are asking our community partners to assist us with getting survey takers by adding the survey request to your website and also by posting a link to the survey on your social media networks. People completing the survey will remain anonymous, but are asked to provide their gender, age and ZIP code. Please try to post the survey several times during the month to maximize the reach of your network.The survey will conclude on July 31,2013.

The MADS 2013 press release has been attached as well as the survey graphic. Your assistance is greatly appreciated as we work to improve our efforts in moving the State of Maryland "Toward Zero Deaths".

The inability of the Obama/Holder DOJ to show a sense of propriety in the George Zimmerman case is astounding

(Orlando Sentinel) The U.S. Department of Justice on Monday afternoon appealed to civil rights groups and community leaders, nationally and in Sanford, for help investigating whether a federal criminal case might be brought against George Zimmerman for the shooting death of Trayvon Martin, one advocate said.

The DOJ has also set up a public email address to take in tips on its civil rights investigation.

Barbara Arnwine, president and executive director the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law – who earlier in the day joined calls for federal civil rights charges against Zimmerman, said that later in the afternoon, she joined a U.S. Department of Justice conference call to discuss the prospects.

“They were calling on us to actively refer anyone who had any information,” that might build a case against Zimmerman for either a civil rights violation or a hate crime, Arnwine said. “They said they would very aggressively investigate this case.”

Ron George's campaign announced the landing of the state's top Republican fundraiser, Hillary Pennington, to their team.

"We are very excited to be working with the Ron George for Governor campaign," said Ms. Pennington. "We vetted out several gubernatorial candidates and chose Ron because we feel that he has both the private and public sector background, the motivation, and the dedication needed to make a difference in Maryland. I can't wait to get started."

"We have such a great team of good dedicated people and Hillary is that type of person," said Delegate George. "Her fundraising expertise and knowledge of Maryland are essential to a great campaign. We knew she was being sought after by the other campaigns. We are so proud to have her join our team."

In 2010, Hillary Pennington started Strategic Victory Consulting and it quickly become Maryland's premier Republican finance firm. They worked with candidates and conservative organizations around the state to raise over $2.5 million.

On July 13, 2013, at approximately 12:30 a.m. Ocean City police stopped a suspected drunk driver at 69thStreet and Coastal Highway. The driver, who was identified as Teresa Ann Hangland, 54, of Nottingham, MD, failed numerous field sobriety tests and was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol.Due to the location of her vehicle, which was parked in the north bound bus lane of Coastal Highway, officers requested a tow truck to tow the vehicle. Prior to towing, officers completed a required inventory search of the vehicle and recovered 60 assorted prescription pills, cocaine, drug paraphernalia and other items used for packaging to indicate distribution. Police also recovered over $3,000 in cash.Ocean City police have charged Hangland with possession of narcotics with intent to distribute, seven counts of possession of a controlled dangerous substance with intent to distribute, eight counts of possession of a controlled dangerous substance, four counts of possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of packaging material for distribution of controlled dangerous substances and removing label from prescription. Hangland was seen by an Maryland District Court Commissioner and was held on $25,000 bond. She was later transferred to the Worcester County Jail.

On Sunday the Pocomoke Senior League won the district 8 title by beating East Wicomico 3-2. We lost our first game to West Salisbury and ended up in the losers bracket. From there, we beat Crisfield 14-1 on (7/8), beat West Salisbury 11-3 on (7/13), beat East Wicomico 9-4 on (7/14) and then East Wicomico again 3-2 on (7/15). This is the first time that any Pocomoke team has won the district title. We go to the State tournament this saturday 7/20 and play @ 4:00.

Former President Jimmy Carter stymied Democrats' efforts to turn the death of Trayvon Martin into a partisan rallying cry Tuesday, telling local NBC affiliate WXIA in Atlanta that the acquittal of George Zimmerman was correct.

"I think the jury made the right decision based on the evidence presented, because the prosecution inadvertently set the standard so high that the jury had to be convinced that it was a deliberate act by Zimmerman, and he was not at all defending himself, and so forth," Carter said, speaking from the Carter Center for Peace.

"It's not a moral question, it's a legal question and the American law requires that the jury listen to the evidence presented. And I think another action that was taken in the court was not to bring in the race issue at all."

Came thru town at around 3 this afternoon and the street in front of the salis pd was taped off with at least 1/2 dozen cars and flashing lights...continued up Camden and the cops had what looked like 3 African American males in cuffs in front of the corner of the catholic church. Looked like a war zone in town.

The Zimmerman affair warms the cockles of a curmudgeon´s heart. (I´m not sure what a cockle is, but I want mine to be at the right temperature.) Never have I seen such sprawling, cacophonous, indignant ignorance and frightful stupidity as that being exhibited by the American public. We are doomed. I am delighted. Curmudgeons love doom.

Has there ever been such focused inattention as the case has produced? Nothing of importance is noticed, and everything lacking it is. The crucial fact to come out of the whole adventure—crucial, and therefore utterly overlooked--was that Rachel Jeantel, a prosecution witness and black girl aged nineteen years, can´t read. The grim implication of this fact is confirmed by the illiteracy of tweets from blacks regarding the case. “Ima kill dat dumass cracker be racis.” Here we see as neatly displayed as if in a jewelry box why so many young blacks will go nowhere in the remaining fifty years of their lives. They can´t read, or barely can. In a fading techno-industrial civilization—I use the latter word frivolously—this consigns them to a life on charity. Is this not of more note than who started what?

No. The educational disaster that will leave Rachel and millions of her confreres in meaningless lives on welfare pales in importance compared to the question: Did Trayvon Martin and Zimmerman have the proper racial attitudes? This is what exercises the vast endocrine boobitry howling with empty-headed rage and self-righteousness.

A top Republican senator is pressing Attorney General Eric Holder for answers following allegations by a government watchdog that the IRS may have improperly accessed the tax records of a political donor or candidate -- but the Justice Department declined to prosecute the case.

The original allegation was one of several in a letter from J. Russell George, the inspector general who oversees the IRS, to Grassley. For the first time, George revealed claims that IRS officials targeted political candidates for audits, and that, separately, donor or candidate tax information was improperly accessed or disclosed.

To date, the IRS scandal has focused mainly on the agency's practice of targeting conservative groups for additional scrutiny as they applied for nonprofit status.

Group of kids who walk to class with adult chaperones(CNSNEWS) — First Lady Michelle Obama is promoting walking to school as part of her anti-obesity campaign.

In remarks to mayors gathered at the White House last week, the first lady singled out Knox County, Tenn., which – inspired by Mrs. Obama’s “Let’s Move!” campaign — has created a bike-share program and something called a “walking school bus.”

“I’ve heard more and more of this kind of walking school bus happening all over the country — so that kids can get exercise on the way to school, kind of like we did when we were growing up,” she said.